A revealing work of public history that shows how communities remember
their pasts in different ways to fit specific narratives, Race, Place,
and Memory charts the ebb and flow of racial violence in Wilmington,
North Carolina, from the 1730s to the present day. Margaret Mulrooney
argues that white elites have employed public spaces, memorials, and
celebrations to maintain the status quo. The port city has long
celebrated its white colonial revolutionary origins, memorialized
Decoration Day, and hosted Klan parades. Other events, such as the
Azalea Festival, have attempted to present a false picture of racial
harmony to attract tourists. And yet, the revolutionary acts of
Wilmington's African American citizens--who also demanded freedom, first
from slavery and later from Jim Crow discrimination--have gone
unrecognized. As a result, beneath the surface of daily life, collective
memories of violence and alienation linger among the city's black
population. Mulrooney describes her own experiences as a public
historian involved in the centennial commemoration of the so-called
Wilmington Race Riot of 1898, which perpetuated racial conflicts in the
city throughout the twentieth century. She shows how, despite
organizers' best efforts, a white-authored narrative of the riot's
contested origins remains. Mulrooney makes a case for public history
projects that recognize the history-making authority of all community
members and prompts us to reconsider the memories we inherit. A volume
in the series Cultural Heritage Studies, edited by Paul A. Shackel
Publication of the paperback edition made possible by a Sustaining the
Humanities through the American Rescue Plan grant from the National
Endowment for the Humanities.
